Monochrome
by Lady Hanaka
Summary: Sequel to Shades of Grey. Now that Team 7 has been reunited, the dangers have increased tenfold. War with the other nations looms on the horizon, and the threat of Akatsuki is ever present. Can their fragile bonds hold, or will Team 7 shatter once more? ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

Monochrome. Adj. having the images reproduced in tones of gray: _monochrome television._

A black-and-white image, as in photography or on television

* * *

**Monochrome**

* * *

Only the dead have seen the end of the war.

--Plato

* * *

The dark cavern was silent, save the far off sound of dripping water that echoed in the expansive place. Six shadowed figures stood in a circle, only two of them being solid figures. The other were hazy images, looking, for all intents and purposes, like holograms.

Hoshigake Kisame, one of the only two present that were actually 'there', gave a grunt as he shifted his large sword on his back. He looked impatient, but said nothing, as Leader-sama's gaze fixed upon him in warning.

Kisame almost winced. He already knew that his two spies had failed to do their job during Konoha's last Chuunin Exam, and Leader-sama was less than pleased with the fact. The only one who seemed remotely unaffected by the fact that Uchiha Sasuke was still alive—and a threat to their capture of the Kyuubi—was Itachi. Kisame suspected this had something to do with Itachi wanting to kill Sasuke himself. He'd kept him alive after murdering his entire clan, after all. It seemed like the only logical reason.

"Cloud and Mist have begun to amass delegates for a treaty with Konohagakure." Konan finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"They couldn't even do their damn job." Kisame grunted.

"They were supposed to weaken Konoha's defenses enough that getting the Kyuubi would be easy." Zetsu's light side mused. **"And they failed."** His other half finished harshly.

"Tobi thinks maybe Leader-sama has a plan?" Tobi asked cautiously, and his gaze went to their piercing-laden leader. A message passed between them, unnoticed by the others save for Itachi, who's eyes narrowed at the sight.

Then, Pein spoke.

"Cloud and Mist did what we expected of them. While the Raikage and Mizukage were in Konoha we managed to capture the six-tails Jinchuuriki, and that was our ultimate goal."

"Without our usual number of members, the extraction process took too long." Konan continued softly. "Our chakra reserves cannot withstand it that much longer."

_We will be unable to extract the other three tailed beasts without more members._

The statement hung above them, unsaid but understood.

"I have already come up with a plan." Pein announced, "But you need not know it yet. Now, Zetsu, report."

"For the past two months I have been watching Konoha, as you asked." Zetsu began.

"**The damn Kyuubi and his team haven't left Fire Country since it was attacked. They're keeping him safe within Konoha's borders."**

The others nodded, and Zetsu's lighter half continued.

"They've been going on several c-rank missions, though Uchiha Sasuke's Team snake has been kept mostly inside the village. Uchiha Sasuke has been traveling with his old Team."

"Lot's of missions, huh?" Kisame grinned, before turning to Itachi. "You're brother's planning on taking the Jonin Exams, isn't he?"

"Hn."

"We have one month to make the necessary preparations." Pein announced. "Dismissed."

* * *

"One more month!" Naruto whooped. "One more month till the Jonin Exams!"

Sakura merely leaned back against the wall, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. However, a small smile threatened to appear on her face. Naruto's attitude was contagious, as always. But she managed to keep her emotionless mask on without much trouble, reaching up and running a hand through her hair. It was starting to grow a little longer, and it was in that annoying stage where it couldn't be pulled up but looked bad when hanging loose. She would have to cut it again soon.

"Che. Dobe. You're so annoying."

"Eh?" Naruto whirled around, blue eyes blazing. "What was that teme!?"

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's flustered, defensive glare. Instead of answering him, he kept silent, knowing it would annoy the blonde more than a response would. So, he merely looked over at Sakura, from where she was leaning against a tree, talking with Sai. As he did so, he couldn't help but think about her sudden change in wardrobe, and how the look fit her.

She had begun wearing her Konoha vest permanently, in order to carry all of her scrolls and poison antidotes—and poisons themselves, mostly likely. Underneath her vest was a sleeveless, black, skin-tight turtleneck that ended just below her breasts. Not that he saw it often, of course—seriously, he didn't look when she sometimes unzipped her vest for training or anything... She had a black skirt, with mesh leggings beneath, and her trademark black boots and black interrogation unit gloves. A red bandana, much like Asuma's, hung around her hips. The white circle of the Haruno Clan shown out brightly against the deep red. She wore no Konoha headband, saying that it wasn't really needed, everyone knew she was the Hokage's apprentice. Not many people in the world have pink hair, after all. Pink hair that Sasuke truly found attractive in all its dishevelment. Actually, it gave her a I-just-rolled-out-of-bed-after-a-night-of-hot-sex look which was…quite appealing, in Sasuke's opinion.

He seemed to be having more of these thoughts concerning Sakura as of late. Maybe it was the fact that she was being passably kind to him, ever since their talk that morning two months ago. Not quite nice, but he didn't sense any open hostility. She was still wary of him, and stiffened anytime he came near her.

That was making his plan of making her his a bit difficult. How was she going to heal him after his fight with Itachi if she didn't even want to be near him?

"TEME!"

Sasuke almost sighed this time. Naruto had tried to hold in his annoyance and impatience as long as possible, but—this being Naruto—that hadn't been long at all. When his friend hadn't responded he'd begun to get frustrated, and had been waving his hands in front of Sasuke's face for a minute or so.

Speaking of Naruto…Sasuke let his eyes drift to the place that Naruto now stood, whining to Sakura about how Sasuke was 'being a stupid bastard' and 'could she maybe punch him into a few trees so he'd get the stick out of his ass again?'.

Naruto would always be Naruto it seemed…and his obsession with orange was still present, even with his new outfit. It was the traditional Konoha outfit, with the green vest and the black shirt underneath…and a pair of glaringly orange slacks. Sasuke almost winced, as Naruto began fiddling with his headband, grinning sheepishly as Sakura chastised him calmly for his insulting of Sasuke.

"Really, Naruto, if you're going to insult him, at least do it _well_."

Sasuke did sigh this time.

"So, dickless," Sai pushed himself off of the tree he had been leaning against and turned to the kyuubi container. "How many more missions do you think he needs until he's ready for the exam?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit, knowing that the 'he' mentioned was himself. Sai never addressed Sasuke directly, opting for ignoring him when they were in a group together, like now. Sai seemed to have an innate dislike for the Uchiha, and the sentiment was wholeheartedly reciprocated. Sai had been his replacement…but why the hell was he still there? Sasuke was back, so the boy really should just leave.

He was annoyinng, after all.

"Don't talk about Sasuke like he isn't there, Sai." Sakura drawled, her eyes closed, arms folded over her chest. She seemed to be meditating—or trying to—as Naruto and Sai bickered and Sasuke glared at the other dark-haired member of their team. "And he only needs one more mission to be eligible, as long as it's a-rank."

Sasuke and the rest of Team 7 had been on countless missions in Fire country since the Chuunin Exams. It was all to give Sasuke enough mission requirements for the Jonin Exams, of course, and since they wanted to take the one in a month, that had given Sasuke only three months to get as many missions under his belt as possible. He'd probably done more missions in a week than most Chuunin did in the span of five.

The council had forbidden Karin and Suigetsu from taking the Jonin exam for at least another year, since they were both ninja originally from another village, and not to be trusted. Of course…Sakura had made the offhand comment that she didn't see how them being from another village would make them any less likely to betray them than Sasuke—the comment was meant to help their cause, _really_—and that they were already Chuunin-thanks to the earlier mentioned council--so they could probably do some damage anyway. But the Elder council had said that Sasuke was allowed to take the exams so that the sooner he rose in Konoha's ranks and killed his brother, the sooner he could begin rebuilding the Uchiha Clan.

"Then we have to go talk to baa-chan NOW!" Naruto wailed. "We've worked so hard to get Sasuke ready for this thing! If he can't take it with us we can't take it at ALL. We go as a team!"

"We have a month." Sai answered with his usual fake smile. "We'll get a mission by then."

"We have to have our registration in three days before the exam at the very latest." Sakura murmured. "And a-rank missions usually take a long while, at least two weeks. We'll be cutting it close as it is." She, personally, wouldn't have minded that they wait until the next Exam in seven months. But it seemed that the others were anxious to move up in the ranks.

Really, their ranking was hardly important. They could, after all, kill most Jonin-level shinobi anyway.

Sakura opened one eye to look at Sasuke, only to see that he was watching her. She merely closed her eye again, giving a shrug and leaning back a bit more on the tree behind her. She knew why Sasuke was doing it. The sooner he became Jonin, the sooner he would be allowed off of his probation…and the sooner he would be able to hunt down and kill his brother. Amazingly his plans and the council's coincided perfectly.

Sakura inwardly scoffed…before opening her eyes and looking over at where Sasuke stood. They had all seemed to have gotten a change of outfits, but Sasuke's was the largest difference, in her opinion. He wore a pair of dark navy slacks, and his usual sandals. His top consisted of a vest-like shirt that hung open, showing off his chest—not that she _looked_ or anything—half of which was wrapped in bandages. His wore the armbands that she remembered from their childhood days, and his hair hung in his face, the long bangs rustling with any movement at all. She was just thankful he'd gotten rid of that god-forsaken purple ass-bow that Orochimaru had been so obsessed with.

Sai's outfit was different as well, consisting of a jacket—with his trademark different length sleeves—a mesh undershirt, and black slacks. His scroll hung across his back casually, the hilt of his blade peeking out from behind it.

Team 7 had changed their look…because they had changed themselves. Sakura knew that somehow, they were becoming a team again. After countless missions with Sasuke…Sakura had begun to realize that he had changed since the Chuunin exams. It was hardly noticeable to anyone who couldn't read him, but she'd been capable of doing so for a long while now, so it came easily to her. But his change in attitude hardly helped the way she felt in his presence. She still resented him—it wasn't possible for her to forgive easily, after all—but now, mixed with that small anger…was a flutter in her stomach that she hadn't felt since her genin days. She berated herself for it…she wasn't a weak little fangirl anymore, dammit! But it never seemed to matter. She couldn't help but remember the time he had kissed her…or the time he had been drunk and she'd almost taken up his offer to sleep with him.

She sighed softly. Things were getting complicated, and she hated it.

"You're spacing out, Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned down at her--he was quite a few inches taller, after all, "We have to hurry and talk with baa-chan about another missions and--"

That was when Kakashi appeared out of nowhere, his orange book in hand.

"You're late!" Naruto yelled, but Kakashi merely put his book in his pocket. "You have a mission."

"Eh?"

"Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto." Kakashi nodded at them gravely. "Head to the Hokage's office immediately."

* * *

**(A\N: so…there's the prologue! This was mostly to get you guys descriptions of what the characters look like now, etc…yes, I know I drew a picture of what their outfits on my DA account but I changed all of their outfits—at least a little, in Naruto's and Sai's cases—so the only one in that picture that is accurate is Sasuke's. Sakura's outfit is the new kickass one that has been her outfit in all of my latest drawings. Seriously…she looks kickass with a Konoha vest. Anyway…I hope you guys liked the prologue, and I hope you'll like the first chapter even more, lol.**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	2. Chapter 1: Uchiha vs Hyuuga

**(A\N: Sorry this took so long you guys…my SasuSaku muse is currently on the iron lung thanks to Kishimoto. But I'm hoping it will recover. :) I've kind of given up on SasuSaku in the actual manga…mostly because Sasuke is an ass and I don't think he deserves Sakura at the moment. Maybe he'll redeem himself but I'm not so sure…**

**An a side note, I know that in the actual manga, all of the tailed beasts save for the 8-tails and 9-tails have been captured. However, in this story, they have only the Shukaku, the 2-tails, 3 tails, 4 tails, and the 6-tails. Without futher ado...enjoy the chapter!)**

* * *

"_You're late!" Naruto yelled, but Kakashi merely put his book in his pocket. "You have a mission."_

"_Eh?"_

"_Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto." Kakashi nodded at them gravely. "Head to the Hokage's office immediately."_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Uchiha vs Hyuuga: The Rivalry Continues!**

* * *

"BAAACHAAN! We're here!" Naruto sang as they walked through the doors eleven minutes later.

"Dobe."

"Oi Naruto, be more respectful." Sakura sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she stopped in the middle of the room, blinking.

There were two things she noticed were different about the office itself—besides the unnatural tidiness that told her Shizune had been in for the weekly cleaning earlier that morning. Or rather, two people. One of them was Hyuuga Yuudai, who was standing on the right side of Tsunade's desk. He gave her a small smile and a nod of recognition. He was dressed in his usual shinobi uniform, rather than the standard interrogation unit regalia that he was so fond of.

His gaze met Sasuke's and his eyes narrowed in challenge. Sasuke's own eyes narrowed and he gave a small sneer—which was just a simple twitch of his lips. Pearl met dark charcoal as the two continued to glare at each other, even as Sakura turned to the second person who had caught her attention.

"Hey! You're that Stone-nin from the Chuunin exams!" Naruto pointed a finger at the woman standing beside Tsunade's desk. The woman raised an eyebrow, but merely nodded her head. It seemed that Naruto's brusque nature didn't affect her at all.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto continued, his gaze suspicious and curious at the same time. He merely shifted to a thinking pose, one hand tucked beneath his chin.

"Naruto." Tsunade reprimanded sharply. "If you'd stop talking for five minutes I could explain."

Naruto pouted, becoming childlike once again rather that the 'studious thinker' he'd tried to portray, and Sasuke and Sakura merely looked over at the stone-nin curiously—Sasuke dragging himself out of his glare contest with Yuudai. Stone and Konoha were still not on good terms with one another, so for her to be here was strange in itself. The woman seemed unaffected by their stares, and, for the most part, she seemed relaxed despite being in enemy territory.

"Now then." Tsunade frowned again at Naruto, who merely looked away, jutting his lower lip out in defiance. "I called you here because Stone has asked for our help on a mission."

All three collectively blinked.

"Eh?" Naruto sputtered. "But…we're…I mean…" he looked over at the Stone kunoichi suspiciously. "Our countries don't exactly like each other." _And I still remember that weird thing she said to me about being the child of the yellow demon. What the hell was she talking about anyway? She's creepy._

"I'll let Abukara-san explain the details of the mission." Tsunade nodded her head at the woman. The Stone-kunoichi bowed her head politely in response, before turning to the others.

"My name is Abukara Iwako, and I am a member of Tsuchikage-sama's special Interrogation Unit. We have recently discovered a break in our ANBU ranks. This double agent is the person who allowed the Akatsuki to capture Roshi-senpai—" Iwako's normally emotionless façade became disgruntled, as if she thought herself stupid for saying the name aloud, "I mean, the four-tailed Jinchuuriki a year or so ago."

Naruto winced at the mention of the Akatsuki, and his gaze darkened. He clenched his fists. Those damn Akatsuki…how could they kill people like that just to gain power?

His eyes slid to Sasuke discreetly, and his frown deepened.

He supposed that some people would do anything for power…

Iwako continued, gauging his response and filing it to the back of her mind for later use. "We have learned, after interrogating the traitor, about a man who is giving out information to several rogue shinobi organizations. His information is always accurate, and has been the reason for several breaches in security in many villages."

Tsunade's gaze was serious, but thoughtful. She wondered briefly how much information this man and his network possessed on the other nations. In order to gain that much data on all of them…what kind of powers did he possess?

Iwako, noticing the silence, continued. "We are worried for the safety of our remaining Jinchuuriki, the 5-tails. The mole, his name is Ayugai Gesshin. His file is here." She held out a manila folder she'd been holding and placed it on the edge of Tsunade's desk. "We have discovered that he lives in a very secure village. We have learned that Ayugai has been giving out information to several enemy organizations besides the Akatsuki. Orochimaru of Sound was known to have worked with him. His network is immense, and we don't know the extent of it yet. We do know, however, that they have several members somewhere in Konohagakure, as they do in our own village."

The others stiffened in surprise.

"We are giving you this information…because we wish for assistance in exterminating this threat. However, just going in and assassinating him will get us nowhere. He has several co-leaders that run his smaller bases around the world. If we merely kill Ayugai, it will make little difference. They will regroup eventually."

"So, we're there to observe the extent of his power and try and use the network against them." Sakura murmured.

Yuudai nodded, speaking for the first time. "If we can leak out false information to the Akatsuki, perhaps we can eliminate several of them as threats or even capture one for interrogation on their organization."

"That's why I'm sending you two." Tsunade turned to Sakura and Yuudai. "Along with Abukara-san, you two are efficient in interrogation procedures. Once you get there, you will have to interrogate Ayugai Gesshin and, using his information, go from there."

"So we don't know exactly what we'll be doing once we interrogate him, hm?" Sakura murmured thoughtfully, more to herself than anything else. "It only makes sense that, after getting the information out of him, we eliminate him as a threat. However, that will leave the problem of who will take over afterwards."

Iwako nodded. "We have a shinobi who is proficient in taking over the man's spot. He needs only to study his mannerisms for two days as well as be equipped with the information we can procure from him. That way, we'll have someone who can continue to leak out information to them and get us the names of his cohorts."

"If this was merely about interrogating the man and then replacing him, you wouldn't need or want our help, Abukara-san." Yuudai spoke softly. "It would be better for your own village if you didn't give us the information."

"So what is the other catch?" Sasuke demanded.

Iwako's eyes flickered in his direction, before she spoke. "We've tried this operation before. Every shinobi that has gone in has been killed before they could get us much data."

The room went silent.

"There is no way into Ayugai's inner rooms without being detected. He has a special nightingale floor that prevents it."

"Nightingale floor?" Naruto questioned allowed.

"Nightingale floors are floors designed to make a chirping sound when walked upon." Sasuke supplied in his usual monotone, "The floors were designed so that the flooring nails rubbed against a jacket or clamp, causing chirping noises. The squeaking floors are used as a security device, assuring that none could sneak through the corridors undetected."

Sakura supposed Sasuke knew this from experience. When she had ventured into the Uchiha compound many years ago, she'd found that the main clan house and several others were riddled with these floors. It was not uncommon for nobility to possess them.

"So…why can't we just walk on the ceiling then?"

"The entire room is covered in them, and they are more refined than regular nightingale floors." Iwako answered. "That was the only information we could gain before our informant was…eliminated." Her gaze became morose. "My brother died for this information." She pulled out a scroll and unrolled it on the Hokage's desk.

It was a diagram of a large room, and the floor, ceiling, and walls were broken down and explained.

"Uchiha, memorize this diagram with your Sharingan." Yuudai ordered. "It will be important to us later on."

Sasuke's eyes flashed crimson as he turned to Yuudai. "I don't believe you've been given the right to order me around, Hyuuga." Yuudai stiffened, and both of them turned to continue their glaring contest.

"Oi." Tsunade sighed, "Listen here Uchiha, Hyuuga Yuudai is the captain for this mission."

"Eh?" Naruto grumbled, "But…Sakura-chan is a perfectly good captain and she's an interrogator so I don't see why—"

"Yuudai-san has more experience as a shinobi and in the interrogation field than I do." Sakura defended her colleague. "It makes sense that he would be in charge." She stared straight into Sasuke's eyes, and a message was conveyed between them that the others missed.

Sasuke finally looked away, giving a small grunt in response.

"When do we leave?" He finally asked.

Tsunade took a deep breath. "Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Yuudai, your mission begins in four hours at Konoha's gates. Pack accordingly."

"Hai!" Came the confirmation, as all four members disappeared.

* * *

Yuudai was the first member there, Sasuke noted in annoyance. He was standing beside the stone-nin kunoichi, Abukara Iwako, who was shouldering a quiver of assorted crimson and black fletched arrows, and an intricate bow was slung across her back as well. His eyes flickered to the Stone insignia etched into its handle.

As soon as Sasuke came into view, traveling pack in hand, Yuudai gave a frown. He sighed in annoyance. When he'd spotted the Uchiha with his Byakugan a few blocks away, he'd hoped that Sakura or even Uzumaki Naruto would have come before he got there.

His wishes were not answered, it seemed.

He merely opted for ignoring the younger man. It would make things easier for all involved, and would be the wisest course of action. Besides, if Sakura caught him fighting with the Uchiha like before she would be angry, and he didn't like being on the receiving end of that anger.

So he settled for a glare before turning back to Iwako.

Sasuke was not so easily put off, however. He noticed Yuudai's glare and his own deepened in intensity.

"Hyuuga."

"Uchiha."

Iwako shifted her quiver of arrows on her back and wondered if a fight would break out between the two. The fact that the young shinobi before her were so easily riled by one another was amusing. Even more so, because they were fighting over a woman. Iwako could easily see that the two were infatuated with their teammate Haruno Sakura.

This mission, she decided, was going to be much more entertaining than she had first thought. She was suddenly less angry at her Tsuchikage for assigning such a task to her.

Before the two could go any further, however, the pink-haired holder of their affections appeared, talking to the blonde jinchuuriki who walked beside her. Iwako blinked, looking over the sword that was sheathed upon Sakura's back. She'd seen the weapon briefly somewhere before…yes, that was the sword of Shinju of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen.

She had known that the Haruno girl had defeated her, but she hadn't thought she'd take her weapon.

Sakura merely nodded her head in greeting at them all, while Naruto grinned and waved. "We're all here now, let's go!"

"Naruto…" Sakura sighed. "You're not the captain here. You do this at the beginning of every single mission."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm just anxious to get out there and kick some ninja butt, right?"

But Sakura knew there was another reason. Naruto wanted information on Akatsuki. He wanted to be the one to find a way to bring them down. This mission was their best chance at that.

Yuudai merely looked over all of them, before turning to Iwako. "Lead the way."

Iwako nodded. "Follow me."

* * *

"So Yuudai, you're like…supposed to be really good right?" Naruto finally asked as they continued walking. The forest seemed to be getting denser with each step, and night was fast approaching. The trip so far had consisted of small conversations and comfortable silence. They'd switched their group positions one after their afternoon break, which left Naruto walking beside Sasuke, with Iwako behind him and Yuudai scouting out the front.

"So they say."

"We'll definitely have to spar then." Naruto grinned. "I mean, I saw your fight with teme, but I could tell you weren't really trying your hardest, since you guys were just using taijutsu and stuff, instead of justu."

"It's true that I was holding back." Yuudai nodded, enjoying Sasuke bristling in defense and knowing full well that he'd insulted the Uchiha. "But not with jutsu, Naruto."

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I cannot perform most jutsu due to a problem at my birth. I solely specialize in interrogation and weapon mastery."

"Wow…" Naruto whistled loudly, before giving a small smirk and turning to Sasuke. "So what he's saying is that if Sakura-chan hadn't come and he'd been serious, he would have wiped the floor with you teme."

"Hn." Sasuke muttered. "I was holding back as well."

"The Sharingan hardly counts, Uchiha." Yuudai commented airily. "Using an ability to copy another's movements is hardly noteworthy."

Iwako seemed to be amused by the heated argument, and merely raised an eyebrow at the two.

"As much as I agree with you on that aspect, Yuudai-san," Sakura called from where she held up the rear of their group. "You two should stop arguing. It's immature."

Both Sasuke and Yuudai seemed put down at her admonishment, while Iwako chuckled slightly at the predicament. Naruto merely looked at them both and snickered, muttering something to himself.

"What do you have against kekkei genkai in the first place, Hyuuga?" Sasuke finally cut in. "You have your own doujutsu. Or are you merely jealous that the Sharingan is more powerful than the Byakugan?"

Sakura blinked for moment, seeing Yuudai stiffen. She knew that mentioning the Byakugan was a sore subject with him, and her own eyes narrowed in anger at Sasuke's insult.

"For one thing, Uchiha, the Byakugan is far superior than the Sharingan. That is why the Sharingan was created _from_ the Byakugan. It is an offshoot and nothing more, incapable of achieving the full powers of its predecessor." Yuudai began coldly, "Second, too much importance is placed upon kekkei genkai, they are overrated."

Sakura's gaze lowered as a memory surfaced of the first time she'd heard Yuudai say those words.

_Sakura had been working for a year now as Ibiki's apprentice, and had seen her fair share of interrogations. This one, however, had proven to be difficult. She'd heard that two other interrogators had already worked on the man and had been met with stony silence. Their victim—opponent, that was what Sakura liked to think of them as, like in a chess match—was a hardened man who was resilient against the many forms of illusion techniques and mind-tricks that had been set up for him. The fact that he had resisted the mind-transfer technique of one of their Yamanaka members was shocking in itself._

_Mental attacks were the first on their interrogation list, and usually worked. Ibiki could make a man spill his secrets before he knew what was happening, after all. Of course, Ibiki was busy with another case, so the man had been left to Sakura and another shinobi, a Hyuuga interrogator she'd never met before who introduced himself as Yuudai._

_He was her senior by a few years, and she felt extremely incompetent compared to him. Still, it was strange to think of him as an interrogator, mainly because she'd never heard of a Hyuuga using their abilities for this purpose. Wasn't the gentle fist technique better suited for assassinations and hand-to-hand battles?_

_Sakura merely pulled on a white lab coat to cover her outfit—she didn't want to get bloodstains on it—and followed behind Yuudai into the interrogation room to begin phase two of the interrogation: physical torture._

_She was there mainly to heal the man rather than torture him herself. Yuudai would be the one implementing the pain. She would also be the one talking to him, trying to get the information out of him as Yuudai worked._

_She sat herself down in a metal chair across from the restrained man, and flipped open his file in her lap. She began perusing it while Yuudai calmly gathered his torture devices onto a metal tray on the fold-up table beside Sakura._

_Sakura looked up at the man beneath her bangs, and saw that he was sweating. So, while mental attacks didn't work on the man, it seemed that they'd have more luck with physical torture. While Sakura disliked this style of interrogation greatly, it was necessary…and something she was damn good at._

_But while she was good at it, Yuudai seemed to make it an art form. _

"_Well, before we begin, I'm going to explain each of these instruments to you before I use them." Yuudai's voice was calm and steady. "I would hate to leave you uninformed on what I'm going to do to your body."_

_He pulled up a small tool and turned to the man, who tightened his jaw and glared._

"_This, as you know, is a common corkscrew." Yuudai continued, almost as if he were giving a documentary. "I'm going to begin by drilling through your hands and feet, just to give you a sense of what it can do. I'll have Haruno-san heal you right back up, good as new when I'm finished. How does that sound?"_

"_Go to hell." The man barked out hoarsely._

"_Afterwards we'll ask you some questions. If you don't answer them, I'm going to drill straight into your femur bone. Then we're going to extract the bone marrow and refill those cavities with concentrated sulfuric acid. Haruno-san will keep the acid from killing you completely by, after a moment, injected you with a catalyzing agent that will counter the corrosive effects of the acid."_

_Sakura saw the man tremble._

"_Afterwards," Yuudai continued casually. "The process will be repeated until you tell us what we want to know. Any questions?"_

_The man spit at Yuudai's feet._

"_Very well." Yuudai pulled a mask up over his mouth to keep any of the blood from splattering across his face as he grabbed the corkscrew and placed it above the man's hand. "Let's begin then."_

_And the screams began._

* * *

_Three hours later, Sakura followed Yuudai wearily out of the interrogation room. The two medical-nin on standby outside the door went inside to finish healing the man and take him back down to an interrogation cell._

"_Ne, senpai, you were amazing back there." Sakura tried to sound cheerful, even though she felt like puking. It was easier this way. _

_Yuudai smiled softly, but it was a sad smile. "Thank you, Sakura-san. I hope you learned a lot from your observations." He motioned down to the notebook in her arms._

"_Oh? Yes, I did." Sakura continued softly. "But Yuudai-senpai…can I ask a question?"_

"_What is it?"_

"_Why didn't you use the gentle fist on him? Inserting your own chakra into his passageways would cause immense pain to his vital organs. It would have been very quick and—"_

"_Too much importance is placed on kekkei genkai. They are overrated." Yuudai interrupted coldly._

_Later that day, Sakura learned about Yuudai's inability to focus chakra._

"Well, that's cool anyway." Naruto shrugged, bringing Sakura out of her reverie and back to the problem at hand: the palpable tension between Sasuke and Yuudai. Naruto's own gaze, while outwardly cheerful, was on edge. Sakura could tell he was trying his hardest to get them off of the subject of the Sharingan and Byakugan in general.

Naruto himself had never held much regard for kekkei genkai.

He merely hummed a small tune, before looking over at Iwako, who seemed to be trying her best to ignore him now that the promise of an all-out battle between the two was ruined. "Hey Iwako-san…"

"Yes?" Her golden eyes went to him sharply, her gaze searching and hawk-like.

Naruto seemed uneasy beneath her intense gaze and shifted his traveling pack on his shoulder. "Um well…at the arena during the attack at the Chuunin exams…you called me the child of the yellow flash. I…I just wanted to know what you were talking about. Do you know who my dad is?" And there was a hopefully catch in his voice that they all caught.

"Of course I know who your father is." Iwako admonished. "Your appearance and techniques are identical. Although I admit that your demeanor seems lacking in that respect."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto bristled.

"The Yellow Flash was a serious man. You are—in laymen's terms—brash, loud, spontaneous, and utterly tactless. The Yellow Flash was known to be the exact opposite."

"That's why Naruto is the world's number one knuckle-headed ninja." Sakura murmured with a hint of a small smile on her lips as she walked past the frozen kyuubi container, who was gaping like a fish out of water at the Stone kunoichi. Sakura reached out and ruffled his hair playfully as she walked passed, all the while maintaining her stony composure.

"It will take several more days to get to Stone's border." Iwako admonished. "We had better rest here. When we enter Stone territory, we will be hard pressed to reach a settlement. The more well rested we are beforehand the more likely our chances of survival."

"What does that mean?" Naruto muttered, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be interrogating the woman for information on his father.

"Stone is harsh, much like Sunagakure's deserts. Unless you wish to die of dehydration or freeze to death at night, I suggest you rest here so we can get through as quickly as possible. Flash floods are common at this time of year, so we will need to be fully awake."

And then Iwako calmly sat down next to Sakura and began unpacking her sleeping blanket.

"The flash floods could prove to be a problem." Yuudai nodded, "Once we engage with your partner at the rendezvous point in Stone, where will we go from there?"

Iwako pulled out another scroll from her pack and unwraveled it on the ground in front of her.

"Naruto," Sakura called absently from where she sat huddled with Iwako and Yuudai around the open scroll. "Could you get us some firewood? Sasuke already went to secure the area." Sasuke had dissapeared moments before.

Naruto _would_ have liked to look at whatever it was they were reviewing, but he knew that Sakura wouldn't leave out any information that would be life-threatenting to him or Sasuke. After the mission where she had purposely not told any of them about the powerful mist-nin…he thought maybe their anger and feelings of betrayal had hit her very hard that day. It was likely that he would be filled in on what he missed when he returned.

Ten minutes later, as he entered the campsite with two clones sporting armfuls of wood, he realized that his assumptions were correct, which made him grin.

He began the fire as Sakura looked over at him. "Yuudai, Iwako-san and I were looking over a map at the area where the man's mansion is set. When Sasuke returns we'll have a full briefing over the best course of action."

"Right." Naruto nodded resolutely, his grin widening. He could feel it, day by day, that the old Sakura-chan was coming back. She smiled a bit more often now, and she wasn't so cold to teme anymore. She was still soft-spoken and serious, and her emotionless mask rarely wavered. But…he felt like it was getting better now, and the idiotic grin he was sporting didn't leave his face, even as a spark hit his nose and he gave a small yelp, jumping back from the small fire he'd begun.

A twig snapped and all the shinobi in the area stiffened slightly, even though the group knew that it wasn't a threat. It was a simple reaction to Sasuke's appearance. They all knew he'd stepped onto the twig to announce his arrival rather than appear out of nowhere without a sound as he was apt to do.

As the group of interrogators looked over at him and Naruto waved from his spot beside the fire, Sasuke held up a strung line of fish, twitching and flapping against the rope. "I brought our dinner."

"Thank you, Uchiha." Yuudai called out cordially, though the tenseness of his tone did not go unnoticed. He was really trying to make an effort, however, and Sakura didn't know whether to commend him for it or hit him and Sasuke for being so stupid over their rivalry in the first place. It was like Naruto and Sasuke all over again but...different. Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry was based on power, on becoming better than the other, on pushing each other to their limits and beyond those limits. Yuudai and Sasuke's rivalry...it was as if they were competing for something. Sakura just didn't know what they were trying to win.

She almost wished Karin and the others were there to take away the intensity of the situation. She knew that Konoha did not trust them complicitly—Karin had been one of Orochimaru's trusted overseers, Suigetsu wanted nothing other than to collect the swords of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, and Juugo was mentally unstable. Add this to the fact that all three had betrayed Orochimaru to come to Konoha—even if not directly—showed that they were capable of betrayal again. But the council had made their decision long ago when they'd allowed the them to become citizens and shinobi of Konoha with Sasuke. If trouble befell Konoha, it would only prove that the council knew nothing about ruling a shinobi nation. Sakura had no sympathy for them.

Sakura would have jumped at the chance to see the three—and Sasuke—fuck up and be executed when they'd first arrived in Konoha. But now…she couldn't help but realize that they'd somehow wormed their way into her heart, even if it was a minute corner. Suigetsu could always lighten a damp mood with his incessant teasing and sarcastic remarks. Juugo was calm and gentle, and always had the ability to make her feel peaceful again after a stressful mission or day at the hospital.

The biggest accomplishment was her friendship with Karin. The two girls still bickered—well, Karin bickered, Sakura merely added in small sarcastic comments every once and a while—and she still saw Sakura as her rival for Sasuke's heart. But there was an understanding between the two, a…feeling of sisterhood that came from their mutual workings as kunoichi. Karin understood what it meant to sacrifice everything, even your body, for the good of the mission. There was a bond between them now, no matter the fact that Sakura still thought she was inanely immature and Karin thought she was a cold-hearted bitch.

Sakura gave a small smile as she heard the soft thunk as Sasuke placed one of the fish on a rock beside him, gutting it with his kunai in one swift movement.

She was a bit worried about Juugo though. Karin and Suigetsu would be monitored in their home, probably sent on useless little missions by Tsunade. Juugo, on the other hand, was only visited by Shizune, who would go to Sakura's apartment every day to check up on him and make sure he wasn't lonely.

Juugo had been immensely relieved when he'd learned that he'd be living with Sakura-sama. Sakura didn't mind it at all either. Juugo was a gentle soul, a bit shy and a little rough around the edges, but someone that Sakura couldn't help but look forward to seeing at the end of the day. He made coming home easy, knowing that there was a hot cup of tea and an ear ready to listen when she arrived home.

She just wanted to make sure he wasn't lonely. Besides, without her there to continue his recovery and to make sure he remained mentally stable, something could go terribly wrong. What if he had another attack? The worry was gnawing at her, making her stomach feel hollow.

"Sakura-chan…do you have any herbs we can put on the fish?" Naruto asked hopefully, looking over at her from where he sat near the fire. He was leaning against a fallen log, his pack acting as a pillow.

"My herbs are for medicine, Naruto, not for cooking." Sakura shot back blandly.

"But…you don't have _anything_?" Naruto pouted, before giving a small sigh. "Ok, ok…" Sakura knew that he'd only complained about it in the first place to lighten the mood. Naruto had matured greatly since their genin days as Team 7. He no longer carried around packs of instant ramen with him on missions—she'd beaten him so hard that day for doing something so stupid—and while he maintained his act of goofiness, Sakura knew that deep down he was always thinking. It was an abstract kind of deep thought, but one that seemed the most insightful in tight situations.

He never failed to come up with some kind of half-assed, yet surprisingly successful, plan to get them out of trouble.

Before long their fish had been properly cooked and they were all contentedly eating, even as Yuudai, Iwako, and Sakura continued to look over the map and the little red x that showed them where Ayugai's fortress was located.

A dozen different scenarios accumulated in her head as she looked at the surrounding areas, including the small town that lay at the fortress's feet. What was the best way to go in? She took a thoughtful bite of fish, chewing as she continued to go over her plans, knowing that Iwako and Yuudai were thinking up their own as well. A collaboration between the three would need to be agreed upon before morning.

"Naruto, Uchiha," Yuudai spoke calmly from where the three sat. "Come here." Naruto bounded over cheerfully, ready to begin planning their mission. While he usually didn't like sitting still and listening to people talk, it was always exciting to go over mission plans, especially one for such a dangerous task.

Sasuke acquiesced quietly and at his own pace, as if to say that while Yuudai was his captain, Sasuke was not a loyal dog that would follow his simple commands so readily. Sakura rolled her eyes, asking for patience.

"Very well." Yuudai began, "Let's begin planning."

* * *

**(A\N: Well, there's the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. :D Yay for rivalry over Sakura's heart! Hehehehe. Anyway...while I was writing I noticed that halfway through I had been writing Itachi instead of Sasuke (I had been working on the next chapter of Shisui earlier) and I had to go back and change it all. Hopefully I didn't miss any...;P Anyway, that's all for now!**

**Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)**


	3. Chapter 2: A Song of Silence

**(A\N: I am sorry this took so long. I've been very busy getting ready for college. Anyway...enjoy!)**

* * *

Chapter 3

A Song of Silence

* * *

"Akuro-chan! Akuro-chan!"

Eight-year-old Hamamoto Akuro turned around with a small frown at the sound of her mother calling. She clutched her stuffed rabbit closer to her chest and pouted, waiting for her to find her.

"Akuro! There you are!" Her mother walked into view, pushing through the large crowd of people. She placed her hands on her hips and gave an exasperated sigh. "Akuro-chan! I finally found you! Why do you keep running around like that? With the festival in town everything is crowded! Someone could scoop you up and take you away before I knew what was going on!"

Akuro gave a guilty look. She knew it was true…slave traders would pick up little children at times like this to sell to other people. If she wasn't careful, she could get scooped up too! She bit her lip. "But okaasan…I just wanted…I just wanted to hear the pretty music!"

"Music?" Her mother questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Akuro nodded excitedly. "Hai! Come on mama, I'll show you! They came yesterday and are playing there!" She pointed at the pale orange tiled roof in the distance. The Peachblossom Pavilion, the local entertainment hub.

Her mother sighed. "Alright, alright…" She wiped her hands on her apron. "We'll go hear the pretty music later tonight, alright?"

"OK!"

* * *

The soft sound of a guzheng being played lingered in the open halls of the Peachblossom Pavilion. Three figures were seated on the stage, all holding instruments.

Nimble fingers stroked the instrument, the soft, vibrant sounds filling the entertainment hall. Upon closer inspection it could be seen that it was a man, dressed in a modest forest green changshan and brown slacks, his instrument placed upon his lap. His fingers moved quickly, almost too quick to see…the hands of a musician. His blue-black hair was long and tied back in a braid that hung over one shoulder. His gaze never left his instrument, his handsome and stern face twisted in concentration.

Seated beside him was a young woman in a sky blue cheongsam, lined with gold and covered in gold and pink lotus flowers. Her deep brown hair was piled atop her head in a bun with four chopsticks. One leg was propped up as she sat gracefully, and the slit up the side of the cheongsam freed the long appendage from the silk confines. In her lap was a pipa, the instrument held gently in her arms, like a child.

The third figure was another male, this one darker in color compared to his pale companions. His own hair, a light orange that contrasted with his dark skin, was cut short, shaved completely off the left side. In his hands he held a dizi, the slender flute placed to his lips with care. He wore a rust-colored changshan compared to the other male, but with brown slacks beneath it as well.

"This has been uneventful." The light-haired man muttered as he held his dizi lightly, looking to the other two.

"Well," The brunette looked up, showing off startling emerald eyes. "The festival doesn't start till tomorrow. We've been performing all week to gain some prestige. If he's such a great lover of music as everyone says, he'll come to the pavilion sometime this week."

"Hn." The black-haired man muttered, looking disdainfully down at his braid. "Why do I need hair extensions?"

The brunette almost rolled her eyes as she stood, carefully holding her instrument. "I don't like mine either, but we have to live with them. We're too noticeable with our hair color and styles."

"Yeah, no one else in the world has hair that looks like a chicken's ass, teme." Naruto walked into the large room with a wicker basket. "Iwane-san and I brought food!"

"Dobe." Sasuke muttered, even as he placed his instrument down gently and strode over to where the Kyuubi container stood. Naruto had been a little angry at the fact that he couldn't help in the main part of their mission. But his lack of musical talent made that a bit impossible.

Of course, Sasuke also didn't know how to play an instrument. So during their day in Stone where they'd picked up Eisaku—their rust-haired companion—he'd watched a guzheng player and had copied all of his songs with his Sharingan. Sakura only knew how to play an instrument because all kunoichi were taught how. That, or singing, but Sakura couldn't carry a tune and didn't try to do so.

But since Naruto had no earlier musical knowledge and no Sharingan to copy anything with, he was stuck as dead weight for the beginning of the mission.

Naruto looked comically different, at least to Sasuke. Make-up had been used to hide his whisker-like scars—quite well, actually, and his spiky blonde hair was now a dull wheat-color. With the drab hair color came a unique expression, as if he were walking to his own execution. Naruto hated deception, preferring to jump in, take all the bad guys out at once, and heroically make a big speech at the end to liven things up. All he had done since they'd finalized their plans was pout.

Sasuke and Naruto had first suggested genjutsu to disguise themselves…and had been graced with a two-hour long lecture by Sakura on the intricacies of genjutsu and how easily it would be for someone to discover a disguise-illusion—with help from Yuudai who had continued to point out that his Byakugan made any small illusion obsolete.

So here they were with makeup and hair dye—and hair extensions in Sasuke and Sakura's case. Iwako and Yuudai had briefly entertained the idea of colored contacts, especially for Sasuke, but they weren't sure how that would affect his Sharingan, so it was tossed aside quickly. He was, however, under strict orders not to show off his Sharingan at all until they'd begun the end phase of their mission. If he blew their cover they were done for. He _was_ the only Uchiha besides Itachi still living, after all, and word of his reinstatement in Konoha would have spread.

Eisaku gave a small grunt, clearing his throat as he placed his dizi back into its case.

Chishu Eisaku was a plain man in himself, at least in character. Despite his rather odd hair style he was hardly someone of notice. If you spent two minutes with him you'd quickly become bored. His personality was dull and slow, and he rarely spoke at all. But Sakura suspected that was because he spent all his time watching other people. He didn't have a personality of his own because his talent lay in mimicking others.

He was an odd one, always half listening to what you said. Sakura found it slightly amusing to watch him in return, only because she could see him picking up people's personalities and mannerisms as they went. He'd take someone and study them in the market for a few hours and come back and practice his new personality on them.

He really was amazing. With a proper, layered genjutsu, he'd be able to become anyone. And that was why he was their choice to take over after they dealt with Ayugai Gesshin.

"Well, Yuu-san is still off scouring the streets for the proper hair-pin for you, Sakuriko-chan." Iwako murmured as she walked up and placed the second wicker basket on the stage, opening the top. Yuu-san was Yuudai, of course, and he wasn't really looking for a hair-pin for Sakura, but was scouting the area for shinobi. 'Sakuriko' was Sakura's name for the mission. They'd decided on picking names close to their normal ones. It was easy to remember a name that was close to your own, after all. Besides, Naruto would probably end up forgetting their code names if they were too different.

So Sasuke was now Sasudo, Naruto was Narumane, and Iwako was Iwane. Eisaku didn't need to change his name—Sakura wasn't quite sure if Eisaku was his real name anyway—so they continued to call him by his given name.

"Man…" Naruto moaned out as he sat down on the stage before lying down completely, looking up at the wooden rafters of the ceiling, "I'm just glad the festival starts tomorrow. All of this scouting and waiting was so _boring_."

"Che." Sasuke grunted, but merely reached over and took a bowl of rice from Naruto's basket and began eating without saying anything else derogatory to his companion.

"Yuu-san will be back soon," Sakura murmured as she grabbed her own food, "So that means we'll have a few more hours to practice. After that, Iwane-san and I will get my outfit ready for tomorrow's opening and we'll meet to go over the songs we'll be playing."

Translation: Iwako and I will see how many weapons we can successfully hide inside a cheongsam and then later we'll all meet to discuss tomorrow's mission.

"What songs are we playing tomorrow?" Sasuke grunted, sending an almost nonexistent, scathing glare at his hair extensions. Uchihas do not pout, after all. But he could certainly _brood_.

"Let's see…" Sakura bit her lip in thought, absently twirling a lock of hair as she did so. "_Under the White Wind_ would be a good choice, and _Song from a fishing boat during sunset_ is always popular…"

"_Fighting the Typhoon_." Eisaku muttered.

"Che." Sasuke grunted. "I'm best at _Ripples over the River_ and _The Butterfly Lovers_." Or rather, the person he'd learned from had been best at those songs, and so he had copied them to perfection.

"The Butterfly Lovers is a song that everyone enjoys." Iwako nodded, "You should save that one for last…"

Naruto gave a small, pitiful moan, slumping against the side of the stage with a pout. They were talking about music again. He wouldn't be able to get a word in for hours now. He looked down at his hands, curling his fingers one by one.

_Dammit…why can't I play an instrument too? _He gritted his teeth, before puffing out his lower lip and glaring at Sasuke. _Darn you Sasuke…I'll learn to play an instrument WAY better than you! Just wait and see, dattebayo!_

And with that goal in mind, he slipped out of the music hall in the direction of the marketplace.

* * *

"Let's see…" Iwako murmured, patting down the folds of Sakura's hanbok. "We can fit at least three senbon into the inner sleeve. I suggest we don't use kunai or shuriken. If he has shinobi with him, they'll be able to spot minor bulges in cloth." She held up the silk fabric. "I would suggest placing a few senbon in your undergarments, but if it comes down to it…he'll be able to spot them easily."

Sakura gave a nod. "We'll leave it with the senbon in the sleeves, then. What about my shoes?"

"The first place they will look for weapons are your shoes, hair piece, and jewelry."

"Mmm." Sakura agreed. "So what will we do about them? Three senbon in each sleeve…I won't be able to fight off a well-armed shinobi with six of them."

"This bracelet has a secret clasp." Iwako pulled something out of a wicker basket. "The jewel is fake, see?" She showed Sakura how the back opened and it was hollow inside. "I suggest we put soldier pills in there. If you end up trapped in his home without the rest of us for a period of time, you will need the boost of chakra."

"Understood."

"Also, this hair ornament can turn into a skeleton key, and when heated with chakra can cut through ninja wire and ropes. It may not be a weapon, but it will be essential in the event that you are captured."

"Thank you." Sakura nodded, "But why am I not wearing a traditional kimono or cheongsham?"

"Ayugai Gesshin is from a land further to the south, and it is the traditional dress of the women there. We want you to stand out and appeal to him as much as possible. You've already been briefed on your background story, correct?"

"My mother comes from Ayugai's homeland, The Land of Foam, but my father was from Marsh Country and that is why I do not have the accent of the Land of Foam nor have I ever seen it." Sakura recited, closing her eyes as she tried to remember everything she'd been taught. "My mother died young and m father and I traveled. I learned to play the pipa as well as several of the instruments of my mother's homeland such as the gayageum and the bipa." She had already learned to play a few songs on each of them in case he asked her to demonstrate when the time came.

"Good." Iwako nodded curtly. "Tomorrow I will do you hair and makeup. Yuudai discovered that Ayugai heard of our performances and is coming tomorrow to see it. You must capture his attention."

"Of course." Sakura murmured coolly, running a finger along the stiff fabric of her hanbok.

"Both Uchiha-san and Hyuuga-san seem to have a running rivalry between them."

"Sasuke always has to feel better than someone," Sakura scoffed as she began undressing. "Yuudai-san is probably just humoring him."

"Mmm." Iwako mumbled in agreement. "Perhaps that is true when it comes to their skills as shinobi, but they seem much more competitive over women."

Sakura snorted. "Uchiha Sasuke has the sex drive of a rock and Yuudai-san is a gentleman. I doubt the two would be competing over a woman." She looked around the room before leaning in closer to Iwako. "…who is it?"

"Hm?"

"Who are they fighting over?" A hint of curiosity tinged her usual emotionless tone, and Iwako smiled.

"It's something you will have to learn for yourself." She then picked up the rest of the clothing on the floor and folded them, hanging a few yards of silk up on the ceiling support beams.

Sakura eyed her suspiciously for a moment before going back to the task of slipping on a sleeping yukata. She wasn't needed for guard duty that night, so she was going to enjoy a coveted full night's sleep. Still…as she watched Iwako leave the room she wondered over her words.

Who could they two be fighting over?

The only female that either of them came in close contact with on a regular basis was herself, and that was absurd. Yuudai knew about her seduction missions, and as a member of the Hyuuga Main branch family, he would never sully the Hyuuga name by courting a kunoichi trained in seduction. Sasuke…well he had always demeaned her in the past and while she was unable to forget the way he had been in their genin days, always calling out cruel remarks. It was a difficult thing to let go of, and she doubted he found her attractive now either.

Besides, like she said before, the emotionless Uchiha Sasuke had zero to no interest in sex or love. He preferred revenge, and then he would find a suitable woman to become the Uchiha Matriarch. Romance had nothing to do with it.

Sakura sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Maybe she would take a nice, long bath to calm her thoughts.

* * *

The streets of Konoha were deserted for the most part as Juugo made his way back from the marketplace to Sakura's apartment. He always did his shopping around dusk, since there were less people around to stare at him. While most of the civilians had gotten used to his presence—they didn't know exactly who he was in the first place, after all—they'd seen him being taken in with Sasuke and the other members of team Hebi and were still wary of him. The only ones who greeted him warmly were the owner of Ichiraku Ramen and the wizened old lady who sold fried dumplings at the marketplace.

Oh, and there was the young woman who sold scarves as well, but he still wasn't sure if she was comfortable around him or not. She always got so flustered when he came near, and she acted nervous. Maybe she just pretended to be nice to him because she was afraid? Either way, he was pleased that she had been the first person in Konoha—besides Sakura and the doctors and nurses at the hospital—that had smiled at him and given him a present. He wore the knitted scarf proudly around his neck as he hoisted the two large bags of groceries in his arms to get a better grip on them.

He'd gotten very used to living with Sakura now and doing chores around the house when she was gone on missions or working at the hospital. He had learned her shift schedule early so that he would always be awake and welcome her back with a cup of coffee or tea and a warm smile—and the frequent back massage to loosen her tense muscles. He liked having that kind of constant in his life. It made him feel secure, as if he had a set place and was needed.

He wondered if, even more than Sakura, he just needed to feel needed. When Kimimaro had been so kind to him in the beginning and told him of his usefulness, he had never felt so alive. Then that had transferred to Sasuke and now…he figured Sakura was the most sturdy and honest of the group. There were no ulterior motives behind what she asked of him.

"What the hell are you wearing around your neck!?"

Juugo blinked, looking up—he'd been staring absently at the ground—to see Suigetsu and Karin standing five or so feet away, both holding dango sticks.

"Does that thing have freakin' _flowers_ knitted on it?" Suigetsu's face contorted in disgust. In fact, it looked as if he were in genuine pain, and Juugo's brow furrowed in concern.

Karin raised an eyebrow at Juugo's present, walking forward and grabbing the end of it to survey it at a closer distance. "Juugo…this scarf is pink."

"It's fucking fuschia, dork." Suigetsu muttered absently, coming forward as well, taking a bite of dango as he went. "And those are flowers."

"Chrysanthemums." Karin nodded, sending Suigetsu a death glare and then going back to her inspection of the scarf. "It's actually really cute, where did you get it?"

"The scarf lady." Juugo answered back with a small smile. "It was a present, because I complimented her work."

Karin and Suigetsu exchanged a look that Juugo couldn't decipher before Suigetsu cleared his throat. "Anyway, Karin and I were going to get something to eat. You wanna come?"

"But you just had dango." Juugo pointed out.

Karin rolled her eyes. "We just stopped at a stand on the way. You can't live off of dango."

Suigetsu decided not to make a comment about how Sakura's interrogation partner Mitarashi Anko seemed to be doing just fine on her dango exclusive diet.

"So come on then!" Suigetsu gave a rakish grin and plucked a bag of groceries from Juugo's arms. "We'll just take these with us. There's nothing in here that will spoil if it isn't refrigerated, right?"

"No, but—"

"Let's go!"

"But I have to water Sakura-san's plants!"

Karin rolled her eyes, grabbing his arm and forcibly dragging him in the direction of the Ichiraku ramen stand. "Her plants can wait!"

"Tonight…we feast!" Suigetsu crowed happily. "And Karin's paying!"

"Right—wait, what!?" Karin shrieked. "I am not! Get back here!" She broke into a run, chasing Sugietsu down the nearly deserted road as he launched himself in the direction of the ramen stand.

Juugo stood in the street for a moment, wondering if he should take the opportunity to go water Sakura's plants before the two noticed that they'd left him behind.

* * *

Naruto breathed in deeply, reveling in the fresh night air. The entertainment district of the city was still alive and bustling, and lights created a permanent glow, making the streets look as if they were covered in a thin layer of visible chakra. People laughed and danced and sang, and the smell of alcohol and food drifted with the cool breeze.

"You seem very alert, Uzumaki-san." Iwako walked up to him from her place at the other end of the roof. She knelt down to make herself less conspicuous, surveying the skyline.

"Yeah." Naruto grinned cheerfully. "Going on missions like this with Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme…it's great. And guard duty is a lot more fun than watching them practice their instruments." He pouted again, ignoring the sharp sting that accompanied any movements of his hands. He'd secretly been practicing to play Sasuke's guzheng for a while, but he wasn't about to tell anyone that.

"I see." Iwakoe nodded. "Uzumaki-san, may I ask you a question?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, before nodding. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Why don't you take your father's name?" Iwako questioned into the darkness, lacing up her sandals. Her head was bent, so Naruto couldn't see her face.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked in confusion, crouching down to be on eye level with her.

"You don't use your father's surname. I just wondered why. Are you ashamed of him?" Iwako's voice was soft.

"How do you know that I don't have my father's name?" Naruto demanded a bit hotly. _How do you know anything at all about me?_ Then again, he supposed everyone had begun doing research on the remaining Jinchuuriki.

But Iwako didn't answer his question. She merely continued to check the weapons she'd slipped into her sandals. Finally, she gave a small sigh as she finished, and looked up into the night sky. A small breeze rippled past them.

"My father fought against the yellow flash and lived. He has never been more proud of any other feat, and he has _many_ titles. He is a respected shinobi and an Elder on Tsuchigakure's council. He was even in line to be Tsuchikage after the 3rd died. Your father was a great man. My own displays his battlescars proudly. You should not be ashamed of him."

"I am not ashamed…I just…I don't KNOW him. How do you know who he is?"

Iwako turned to him full in surprise, eyes widened a bit. Her eyebrows knitted together and she leaned forward slightly. "…you don't know…?"

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto snapped out, obviously irritated.

"Your father…" Iwako began, but was cut off as the rooftop door was opened and Sasuke stepped out.

"Hm." Iwako murmured, sending Sasuke a suspicious glance. "The change in watch. I'll head in then."

"Wait!" Naruto called after her, "What were you going to say about my father? Iwako-san—wait!"

"Baka." Sasuke muttered, placing a hand over his mouth and stifling his cries. "If you keep yelling everyone in the town will know we're here."

Naruto sputtered behind Sasuke's palm for a few more moments before settling down, sending Sasuke a vicious glare. When Sasuke saw that Naruto wasn't going to start shouting again, he took his hand away.

"Damn teme." Naruto muttered hotly. "You always come at the wrong moments!"

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow in question at Naruto's tantrum. "What's wrong with you?"

Naruto wondered if strangling his best friend after spending such a long time trying to get him back would be worth the energy or not.

* * *

**(A\N: Here it is! Ta da! It took a while but…the chapter is finally here. If you want to know about the different instruments and outfits that Sakura and the others are wearing, just google image them and you'll see what they are. Oh, and their choice of instruments was brought about by my addiction to the 12 Girls Band, which I listened to while I wrote this chapter. If you've never heard of them, or listened to them, do so now! They're amazing. :)**

**Sincerely,**

**Lady Hanaka)**


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